Front Runner

Constantina Tomescu-Dita Bravely Makes Her Own Space

In the 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, Constantina Tomescu-Dita took off from the gun, building a commanding lead, at one point a minute and a half ahead of the chase pack. The announcer in the press room warned us that this would happen, that Tomescu-Dita was known to go out too fast, having led for much of the World Championship marathons in Edmonton (where she finished 10th) and Paris (where she DNF’d). He joked about how she had promised not to go out fast this time, but . . . there she went. The assembled press and I smirked at her lack of control. Me perhaps more than others, as I’ve never had much respect for front runners, preferring those who know themselves and their pace and reel in the foolhardy who crumble and disappear when the racing really starts.

So when Albina Ivanova cruised past at mile 21, her smooth, composed stride making Tomescu-Dita look tired and clumsy, everyone dismissed Tomescu-Dita as a familiar footnote on not taking the marathon distance seriously. Remarkably, however, she didn’t disappear. She regrouped, set her sights on Ivanova, and, two miles later, was the one passing, her arms pumping vigorously, her strides long and powerful. While she would eventually be passed at mile 25 and have to settle for second place in 2:23:35, I changed my mind about Constantina Tomescu-Dita that day. I became a fan.

Not a Crazy Pace

Nearly two years later, when I mention this to her, Constantina smiles and recalls that moment: "Ivanova passed so quickly. When I am going to take my bottle, to drink at 35K, she was going by, so fast. I empty my drink, look up, and chase her. After 500m, I know I can catch her." Then she tells the lesson she learned from that race, as I will discover she does after nearly every race story, "I was not aware of her. So the next year, I am always looking back. I lose maybe 10 seconds, but I don’t care, because I win."

We are in a little one-bedroom apartment in Boulder, CO, that she and her husband and coach, Valeriu, have lived in approximately half of each year since 2001. Valeriu and I sit on the couch while Constantina does sit-ups, push-ups, and a few perfunctory stretches. She has just finished a hilly 15K morning run on trails along the base of the Flatirons that rise behind the city.

Valeriu chimes in on the Chicago race, saying he was surprised at how the announcers were going on about his wife being out front. "Looking at the splits," he insists, "it wasn’t a crazy pace." This seems to be an important point, as Constantina returns to it later: "In Chicago, my half was 1:11:20. It was not very fast, like in London [2003]—I ran 1:09." There, she faded to 2:23:43 and sixth place, but she had been chasing Paula Radcliffe, who was running a 2:15 pace, and has no regrets. "I had to try," she says.